Many devotees assume that the joy, sweetness and emotions they feel in their devotion are genuine, but that may not always be true.How can we tell if our experience is authentic and not just a feeling, a thought, or a delusion?There are four indicators of real experience in devotion.
1.Transcendental Happiness
There are two kinds of happiness: one that comes from the world and one that comes from God.
The worldly happiness depends on external circumstances. When things go well, we feel happy. When things go wrong, we feel sad.
The divine happiness is different. It involves both happiness and sadness at the same time.
When we transcend the world and its attachments, we see the reality. We realize that we are far away from God and that we have neglected Him for a long time. We feel very sorry for this and we want to return to Him. This makes us very sad.
But this sadness is not negative. It is also mixed with happiness because we know God and we love Him. We feel a deep pain in our heart because we are separated from Him, but we also feel a sweet joy because we are remembering Him.
If we truly love God, we will experience both happiness and sadness at the same time. This is the true happiness from God which is called transcendental because it comes from God who is beyond this world.
2. Loss of Interest in Material Desires
Once you have tasted the real sweetness of God, you will find that the things that you were crazy about will no longer attract you.
3. Absolute Union with Absolute Will
If your experience is true, then you will align your Will with the Will of God.
4. Freedom from All Past Sinful Reactions
All your past sinful habits and negative traits will be erased, and you will acquire all the positive traits that God possesses.
The above four signs indicate that we are having a true experience of devotion and that we are tasting the true sweetness of God. They may not be fully manifested, but even if they manifest to a slight degree, they show that we are on the right path